Photos by Deb Gau Karla Seaberg and Lisa Gillund counted out bundles of packaged meals being distributed to Marshall area residents on Thursday afternoon. Thanks to a COVID-19 relief grant, Lutheran Social Service has been able to host free meal giveaways in several area communities. A total of 1,500 meal packages - enough for 300 people - were distributed in Marshall.

MARSHALL — A good meal is one of our most basic needs. And as workers from Lutheran Social Service have traveled around southern Minnesota over the past couple of months, they’ve found that plenty of people may not be sure where their next meal is coming from.

“Food insecurity is a very real problem,” said Lisa Gillund, assistant director of operations for LSS Meals. This year, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought the problem into the forefront, she said.

On Thursday afternoon, a line of vehicles stretched down Lyon and Fifth Streets in Marshall, as area residents waited to pick up free meals for themselves, family members or neighbors. Gillund said workers prepared enough packaged meals and snacks for 300 people, and they expected to give out all of it within an hour.

“Hopefully, it helps to bring some relief to people,” Gillund said. “We’ve got people driving in from all over to get food.”

LSS Meals runs the Meals on Wheels and senior dining programs in Marshall and other area communities. Since October, they’ve also been organizing free meal distribution events around Minnesota — including a distribution event in the Holy Redeemer church parking lot on Thursday. The events were made possible with the help of a COVID-19 relief grant from the Minnesota Department of Education, Gillund said.

The grant runs through the end of the year, Gillund said. “It gives Lutheran Social Service an opportunity to serve anybody,” she said. “We want to be able to do what we can with what we have.”

Food distribution events have been organized around Minnesota. In the Marshall region, LSS Meals has distributed meals in Fairfax, Redwood Falls, Walnut Grove, Cottonwood, Hendricks and Tyler. At the Redwood Falls event, 1,000 meals were given out in 22 minutes, Gillund said.

On Thursday, Gillund and LSS Meals team members from the Marshall and Tracy sites unloaded boxes full of food, including packaged cold meals, frozen meals and snacks. Area residents could drive up and receive up to five meals per person, loaded into their cars. Workers were moving nonstop for around 20 minutes before the first pause in the line.

There were a total of 1,500 meals available at the Marshall distribution event, with a breakdown of 900 frozen meals and 600 cold meals all prepared by area LSS Meals kitchens. At five meals per person, organizers expected to feed 300 people. After the initial rush of vehicles in line at the start of the event, it looked like the food was going quickly.

LSS Meals will be holding another couple of meal distribution events in the area before the end of the month. Gillund said there will be a free meal event in Balaton at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The distribution site will be at Memorial Park in Balaton, she said. Organizers are also planning a future distribution event in Lake Benton.

Gillund said it’s also important to remember that LSS Meals is still offering Meals on Wheels deliveries in Marshall. Hot meals are available on weekdays, with frozen meals available for weekends or holidays.

“We have wonderful volunteers who deliver those meals daily,” with contactless delivery, Gillund said.

People age 60 or older can purchase a meal for a suggested donation of $5. People under 60 can purchase a meal for $8, or for $5 on any day they volunteer with Meals on Wheels.

People interested in Meals on Wheels or volunteering to deliver meals in Marshall can contact site coordinator Laurie Eischens at 507-537-6124.